Randev : Brave and a fighting champion
View(s):One of the greatest sportsman Mohamed Ali that said “Don’t quit. Suffer now and live the rest of your life as a Champion”. Which is what Peterite Black Belt Karateka Randev Athukorala did.
Minister of Sports Hon. Harin Fernando awarding ‘ Outstanding Sportsman of the year award” to Randev Athukorala at ‘ St Peters College Colours Night’. Looking on is the Former Rector Trevor Martin.
Platelet count at 72,000 diagnosed with Dengue, Randev was just just 41 days from the South Asian Karate Championship to be staged in New Delhi,India. The words of the Sri Lanka National coach Sensei Kalyana echoes in his head ‘In sports the fight is between you and your self to be better than yesterday’. Young Athukorala fought the system and went back for training, Captained the Sri Lanka Cadet Team- Boys to win the Gold Medal for Sri Lanka in the Heavy Weight Category at the South Asian Karate Championship.
At the 2019 St Peter’s Colours Night, Randev was awarded the “Outstanding Sportsman award” by the Minister of Sports Harin Fernando, in the presence of the Former Rector Trevor Martin.
Starting Karate at the age of 5 years, Young Athukorala was awarded the Black Belt By the age of 11 years by his master Sensei DMD Nimal and then by the Sri Lanka Karate Association. By the year 2017, The World Karate Association Rankings him at 17 in the World behind Russian Robert Avakimov, Spanish athlete Daniel Martin Perez and Brazilian Guilherme Silva in the Cadet 70kg+ weight class which will sure to give a boost to the sport that is currently the second most popular sport in Sri Lanka. His best rank that year was No 11 in the Global rankings.
In the Asian region Randev Athukorala was ranked No. 2 behind Indonesian athlete Billy Bilmona Mohammad Besnuh whilst Chinese Karateka Yunlong Hu was at third place behind the Sri Lankan. There are only three athletes from Asia that have made it to the world top thirty ranking which is an honour that the Sri Lankan Karateka has brought to the country.
The President of the Sri Lanka Schools Karate Association Anura Shantha said: “We spotted his talent when he won the Silver medal at the blue ribbon school tournament in the Asian region Milo Karate Championship in Malaysia when he was just 11 years old.” Where he won the Silver Medal in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Then he went on to win the Gold Medal in the Nepal Karate Championship in Kathmandu, Nepal. The President of the Karate Do Federation H.M. Sisira Kumara commented: “Given that Sri Lanka is hosted the 2017 South Asian Karate Championships, we must use the opportunity to create awareness that karate has the second highest number of athletes in a sport in Sri Lanka and thereby have more athletes coming into the standards of Global Karate Ratings,” he said.
The Master in Charge of Karate at St Peter’s College Francis Sarath commented “ Randev N. A. Athukorala is a double medallion in the World karate Championships staged in Iran and Gold medallion at the coveted Karate Cup 2019 Championship in Malaysia where he Captained the Sri Lanka Schools Karate Championship.
The formative training was done by Sensei D.M.D Nimal and Sensei Safraz whilst now the National coach Sensei Kalyani is training him. His manager is his father Dr. Rohantha Athukorala whilst for spiritual guidance the Rector St. Peter’s Rev. Fr. Trevor Martin and Rev. Fr. Lakmin support the youngster.